Issue - meetings

This report sets out proposals for the establishment of a shadow Health and Wellbeing Board for York, to meet the requirements of the White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS and of the Health and Social Care Bill 2011, which is expected to achieve Royal Assent later this year.

RESOLVED:  That the arrangements set out in the report for the establishment of a shadow Health and Wellbeing Board (H&WB) for York be approved; in particular:

·        the proposed membership in paragraph 18

·        the draft constitution at Annex C

·        the principle that, from April 2012, meetings of the H&WB should be held in public.

REASON:       To discharge the Council’s new obligations under the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 (expected to receive Royal Assent shortly) and to further the Council’s corporate objectives.

Members considered a report which set out proposals for the establishment of a shadow Health and Wellbeing Board (H&WB) for York, to meet the requirements of the White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS and the Health and Social Care Bill 2011, expected to achieve Royal Assent later this year.

These Government reforms meant that, from 2013, local authorities would have direct responsibilities for health improvement and for ensuring the ‘joined up’ commissioning of health and social care.  As a pathfinder area, York was expected to have many components of the new arrangements in place in ‘shadow’ form from April 2012.  The report presented the recommendations of the multi-agency Transition Board, which had been overseeing preparations for these arrangements, and provided an update on other components of the proposed reforms.

Key principles to consider in establishing the H&WB included the size of the Board, its strategic position and whether it should include provider representatives.  It was recommended that York’s H&WB be kept relatively small and strategic and have a total membership of 13, comprising 6 representatives from City of York Council, 2 from the Clinical Commissioning Group, 3 from health service providers, 2 from partners and patient groups, plus the CEO of NHS North Yorkshire (until 2013) and NHS Commissioning Board representatives on an ad hoc basis.  Further details of membership were set out in paragraph 18 of the report and a draft constitution was attached at Annex C.  The H&WB would replace the Healthy City Board and the YorOK Children’s Trust, as a key overarching strategic body under the Local Strategic Partnership. 

With reference to the comments of the Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee (OSC), which had considered the proposals at their last meeting, Members noted the important role that the OSC would continue to play in delivery of the strategy, and the need for the H&WB to focus on wellbeing as well as health.

RESOLVED:  That the arrangements set out in the report for the establishment of a shadow Health and Wellbeing Board (H&WB) for York be approved; in particular:

·        the proposed membership in paragraph 18

·        the draft constitution at Annex C

·        the principle that, from April 2012, meetings of the H&WB should be held in public. ¹

REASON:       To discharge the Council’s new obligations under the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 (expected to receive Royal Assent shortly) and to further the Council’s corporate objectives.